Several Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts A Delta Airlines Aircraft into Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated five patients, and took a trio to hospital with relatively minor issues that included pain in the back and head pain. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the latest incident of planes encountering atmospheric disturbance, with experts pointing out that global warming is a key driver.

On board were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the representative added, adding that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics reported they got a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more frequent - and often stronger.

During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are an estimated thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million journeys that currently occur worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a jet going through disturbed air generate more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that air travel could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.